Total War: Rome 2 info blowout – bigger map and unit roster, massive fleet and more

We have new details from Rome 2: Total War courtesy of the PC Powerplay magazine.

Creative director Mike Simpson states: “Our games have always encompassed a grand vision. But we’re now pushing that vision at both ends of the spectrum.

“From the immense reach of the sandbox campaign right down to the human-level drama of a single warrior on the battlefield, we’re aiming for an unprecedented level of detail and scale.”

Become the world’s first superpower and command the most incredible and vast war machine of the Ancient world. Dominate the enemies of your glorious empire by military, economic and political means.

Your rise will bring admiration from your followers but will also attract greed and jealousy, even from your closest allies. Will betrayal strike you down, or will you be the first to turn on old friends? How much are you ready to sacrifice for your vision of Rome? Will you fight to save the Republic, or plot to rule alone as Dictator — as Emperor?

The game will be available in 2013.

Check out the details from the mag below (via Neogaf user Dmax3901):

• The city in the screenshot of the beach landing is apparently Carthage.

• Massive fleet. Some boats head for the beach while others hang back. Their job is to storm the harbour once the walls have been breached and provide ranged support.

• The guy describes the beach landing as ‘Saving Private Roman’, camera locks onto a boat as soldiers pile out and get hit with ballista bolts.

• Soldiers then run to siege towers (which are apparently left behind from previous assaults)

• The camera then moves to Scipio Aemilianus (the man who exterminated Cartharge and wiped it from the history books) who is in a siege tower. He’s shouting to encourage the troops around him. “We fight for Rome!”

• Lead Designer James Russell talks about making combat more gritty, impactful and visceral (yes the v word)

• New Engine: fully-implemented facial animation, better lighting, new shaders, improved particles and new tech for cloth and skin. Creative Assembly have the biggest mo-cap suite of its kind in Europe.

• Focussing on enhancing both micro and macro. Making on-the-ground combat more personal and human, then when zoomed out they want epic scale, elevated terrain, massive cities and combined land/sea battles.

• CA are toying with the idea of having river combat i.e. on the Danube or Rhine.

• The city of Carthage more detailed than anything in Total War series. Realistic network of streets, statues, looks “weathered” and “beaten-up”. Want it to feel lived-in.

• Cities will have multiple capture points so there won’t be a “mosh in the plaza”.

• You can hide units in the city, spring ambushes “cavalry pouring from a side alley”. Rooftops used as defensive platforms.

• Epic scope of campaign map “from Scotland to Batria (Iran)”.

• Campaign map and unit roster far bigger than original Rome game.

• Budget is a lot bigger than Shogun 2. “40% bigger in terms of how much effort we’re putting into it”

• Talks of Regions v Provinces “we want to make sure you’ve got different areas to capture, but not necessarily all those places to manage.”

• Navies will be able to bombard cities, city walls, kill land soldiers and capture ports.

• Taking the organically growing cities of Fall of the Samurai further, making it more dynamic.